Ohio man who held 3 captive is moved to 2nd prison

Ariel Castro was taken from the Lorain Correctional Institution and was transferred to the Correctional Reception Center

CLEVELAND — The Ohio man who held three women captive in his home for a decade and repeatedly raped them has been moved from one state prison to another where he is being held in protective custody, the prison system said Thursday.

Ariel Castro leaves the courtroom after the sentencing phase Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland. Castro, convicted of holding three women captive in a house he turned into a prison and raping them repeatedly for a decade, was sentenced to life without parole plus 1,000 years. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

Ariel Castro, 53, was taken from the Lorain Correctional Institution southwest of Cleveland and was transferred Monday to the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, south of Columbus in central Ohio.

He is in protective custody, which is typical for high-profile inmates who may be targeted by other prisoners.

Officials have not determined how long he will remain at the center, spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said in an email.

Castro was sentenced last week to life in prison plus 1,000 years on his guilty plea to 937 counts including kidnapping and rape.

The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. Each had accepted a ride from Castro.

They escaped May 6, when one of the women broke part of a door and yelled to neighbors for help. Castro was arrested that evening.

The home he held them captive in was torn down Wednesday as part of a plea deal that spared Castro a possible death sentence. The deal also forced him to turn over the deed to the house and pay for it to be razed.

Prosecutors had intended to pay for the demolition with $22,000 found in the house, including cash hidden in the washing machine, but the work was donated.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said the money that was found was offered to the victims, but they asked that it be used for the community.

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The Cleveland Courage Fund set up to help the women has raised more than $1.3 million.

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